1917—1918
YEARS

develop the following foundations of a decree on nationalization
and present them to the Council of People's Commissars within two days.

3. The nationalization of the entire fleet is hereby decreed.

4. Responsibility for maintaining order on vessels, for their preservation and so forth is placed directly upon ship crews, and then upon the unions of ship workers in each basin or sea*.

5. As the central administrations of the entire nationalized fleet, temporarily, pending a congress and pending unification, the Central Committee and the Centrovolga** are recognized.

If unification is not achieved voluntarily, it shall be carried out by Soviet authority by compulsion.

6. The central administrations act in complete subordination to the organs of local and central Soviet authority.

3172

ADDITION TO THE DRAFT

Add further to the immediate decree on nationalization:

(a) arrest of all boards (at home),
(ß) strict liability for damage to vessels and the like.

## RESOLUTION

OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS

ON MARITIME AND RIVERINE COMMERCIAL FLEET

JANUARY 18 (31), 1918

1) The Council of People's Commissars establishes that both the Central Committee and the Centrovolga are in complete agreement regarding the necessity to nationalize immediately and without compensation all maritime and riverine vessels serving commercial purposes.

* Against section 4, V. I. Lenin made a pencil notation in the margins of the manuscript about adding § 3 from the resolution of the Supreme Council of the National Economy. In the third paragraph of the resolution mentioned by V. I. Lenin, it states: "Until the question of fleet nationalization is resolved, place under arrest all maritime and riverine cargo and passenger vessels and introduce for these vessels compulsory repairs at the expense of the owners under the control of organizations of ship workers."

** Likewise, V. I. Lenin noted here about adding § 1 from the same resolution of the Supreme Council of the National Economy. In the first paragraph of this resolution it states: "Propose to the Central Committee of the union of river workers and sailors and to the Centrovolga to unite at the forthcoming congress of river workers and sailors and immediately enter into business contact" (Archive of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism, doc. No. 11136).

14 LENIN COLLECTION

2) Therefore, the Council of People's Commissars hereby resolves to carry out this nationalization immediately, entrusting a special commission consisting of representatives of the Maritime Commissariat, two representatives from the Central Committee, two from the Centrovolga, and a chairman appointed by the Supreme Council of the National Economy.

3) The nationalization of the entire fleet is hereby decreed.

4) Responsibility for maintaining order on vessels, for their preservation and so forth is placed directly upon ship crews, and then upon the unions of ship workers in each basin or sea.

Until the question of fleet nationalization is considered, place under arrest all maritime and riverine cargo and passenger vessels and introduce for these vessels compulsory repairs at the expense of the owners under the control of organizations of ship workers.

5) As the central administrations of the entire nationalized fleet, temporarily, pending a congress and pending unification, the Central Committee and the Centrovolga are recognized.

If unification is not achieved voluntarily, it shall be carried out by Soviet authority by compulsion.

Propose to the Central Committee of the union of river workers and sailors and to the Centrovolga to unite at the forthcoming congress of river workers and sailors and immediately enter into business contact.

6) The central administrations act in complete subordination to the organs of local and central Soviet authority.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

People's Commissar

Stalin

Published according to the
original signed by
V. I. Lenin and
I. V. Stalin.

40668

TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSAR FOR MILITARY AFFAIRS
N. I. PODVOYSKY

January 22 (February 4), 1918

Circular

The Council of People's Commissars proposes to you that in any dispatch of funds, you take all measures to ensure that the money actually reaches its destination. Monitor